Wagons for transporting and positioning railway sleepers



WAGONS FOR TRANSPORTING AND POSITIONING RAILWAY SLEIZPERS Filed Aug. 14, 1967 R. POUGET Oct. 21, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v Q QN Amen/rm K m-"fer P006: 7'

Hrry.

R. POUGET Oct. 21, 1969 WAGONS FOR TRANSPORTING AND POSITIONING RAILWAY SLEEPERS Filed Aug. 14, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet M1 mdI R. POUGET Oct. 21, 1969 WAGONS FOR TRANSPORTING AND POSITIONING RAILWAY SLEEPERS Filed Aug. 14, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 qflh 9 a m l x 2 1I- N NA r R n o R r =5 Q 5 8 mm W... Q w 2 3x a Awa Arry

United States Patent US. Cl. 104-6 7 Claims ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A wagon for transporting and positioning railway sleepers having a chassis open at its lower portion, two pairs of wheels for supporting the chassis, the spacing of the wheels of the first pair corresponding to that of a normal railway track and the spacing of the wheels of the second pair being greater than that of the first pair, two pairs of lower longitudinal shafts and upper longitudinal shafts respectively, mounted pivotably in relation to the chassis in proximity to lateral faces of the said chassis, chain pulleys carried by the said longitudinal shafts, endless chains arranged in vertical planes and connecting the said chain pulleys to each other, supports for the sleepers which are fixed to the chains at a certain distance from each other.

In constructing a railway permanent way, after the banking work has been completed and the ballast bed has been filled in, it is necessary for the sleepers to be brought along onto their storage stand and for them to be deposited into the ballast bed in accordance with the plan of positioning.

Mechanical lifting machines are required in transporting the sleepers, on their customary tray wagons for distribution along the lengths of the permanent way to be constructed; the output of the said machines is low, and considerable manpower is required for installing them at regular intervals.

There is, however, generally speaking, only a limited amount of time available, particularly when it is a matter of renewing a worn permanent way if the daily traffic of trains is to be dislocated for a short period only.

In all cases the mechanisation of these operations of positioning or of renewing a permanent way is of great interest, from the point of view of rapidity of execution and also from the cost angle.

The present invention concerns a Wagon specially adapted to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages, and in particular to reduce the manpower necessary to the absolute minimum. One of the aims of the invention is accordingly to produce a wagon by which it is possible to bring onto the storage stand, in one convoy, a great number of sleepers distributed in contiguous wagons each being filled to capacity. Another aim of the invention is to produce a wagon by which it is possible to carry out the depositing of the sleepers onto the ballast bed in regular alignment and spacing, i.e. in their final position.

A further aim of the invention is to produce a wagon by which it is possible for the operation of distributing the sleepers to be carried out mechanically, requiring for the control of the said operations an extremely reduced manpower, i.e. roughly one or two men per wagon.

A still further aim of the invention is to produce a wagon by which it is possible to transport and position loads of sleepers of differing lengths, this arrangement being particularly useful for the positioning of wooden sleepers, as well as for shorter concrete sleepers.

An embodiment of a wagon improved in accordance with the invention is described below, by way of example only and in no restrictive sense, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

3,473,482 Patented Oct. 21, 1969 FIGURE 1 is a view in profile elevation of the carriage of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plane diagrammatic view of several wagons in accordance with the invention on a permanent way positioning storage stand.

FIGURE 3 is a semi-section along the line III to III of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a semi-section along the line IV to IV of FIGURE 1.

'FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view of a detail of the depositing device for a sleeper.

FIGURE 6 is a section along the line VI to VI of FIGURE 5.

The wagon as illustrated in the drawings, has a chassis composed of front-plates and transverse plates 2, the said transverse plates 2 being arranged at the front and at the rear of the wagon.

On each of the said front and rear plates 2 props 4 are fixed as can be seen in FIGURE 4, which supports the transverse beams 5, preferably T-shape, whose role will be explained below.

The chassis which has just been described above is normally supported by two pairs of wheels 6 of large diameter, whose axle-trees 7 support the wagon by means of leaf springs 8 articulated at their ends in the known way to the front and rear plates 2.

The wheels 6 have standard spacing of the normal permanent way of railways, the rails 10 of which are fixed to the sleepers 11 by means of wood-screws, the said sleepers themselves being positioned on the ballast bed 12.

The Wheel train 6 is used for bringing the loaded wagon from the storage depot or works where the sleepers are manufactured, to the storage stand for the positioning of the new permanent way. Supports 13 are arranged on the rear plate 2 of the wagon and on an extension 2A of the front plate 2, on each of which a pair of wheels 14 of small diameter, called lorry wheels, is mounted.

The said wheels 14 make it possible for the wagon to move along a temporary track with wide spacing, formed by the rails 16 fixed to studs 17 resting on the ballast bed 12, as can be seen in FIGURES 1 and 4.

The supports 13 of the wheels 14 are articulated about an axis 18 which is integral with the chassis plate 2 at the rear or its extension 2A in the front.

The aim of this arrangement is to make it possible to retract the wheels 14 by causing their supports 13 to pivot through approximately in the direction of the arrow F1 while the wagon is passing along the rails 10 of the normal track.

At the beginning of the storage yard or stand, on the other hand, the wheels 14 are lowered, as is illustrated in FIGURE 2, the normal track 10 is broken at 10A and the wagon at 16A has begun to roll by means of its lorry wheels 14 on the rails 16 arranged at a slight slope upwards.

While this work is going on the rails 16 lift the wagon in such a way that its large wheels 6 are distinctly elevated in relation to the theoretical level of the future normal track to be constructed.

Following up on the above description of the general structure of the wagon, a description should be given of the special devices for transporting and distributing the sleepers which give to the said wagon its essential features.

The wagon has two lateral frames composed of lower frame plates 20-22 and upper frame plates 21-23 fixed to the uprights 25 and 26 as shown in FIGURE 3.

The said lateral frames are located in the longitudinal portion of the wagon between the front and rear plates 2 of the chassis.

Uprights 25 and 26 located at the front and rear ends of the lateral frames, are supported on the external horiontal portions 2B of the plates 2.

On the other hand, brackets 28 and 30 including rollers 32 which roll on the flanges of the angle irons of the chassis of the wagon are fixed at the upper portion of the lateral frames and at the level of the said uprights and 26 as can be seen in FIGURE 4. Lower rollers ensure the balance of the brackets and the frames which they support.

The uprights 25 and 26 at their upper and lower portions carry bearings 37 supporting longitudinal horizontal shafts 36 and 38, respectively, seen in FIGURES 1 and 3.

Upper 40 and lower 41 toothed pulleys are journaled to the said shafts 36 and 38, each of the upper pulleys 40 being connected to the lower pulley 41 which is facing it, by means of an endless chain 42, as can be seen in FIGURES 1, 5 and 6.

The horizontal gaps between two vertical consecutive chains 42 are slightly greater than the standard width of a sleeper (see FIGURE 6); the dimension of the said gaps will be defined below. The vertical chains 42 each carry in regular spacing supports 44 (FIGURE 3) shown on a larger scale in FIGURES 5 and 6.

On the said supports 44 sleepers 45 rest, the said sleepers being arranged transversely in relation to the axis of the permanent way and superimposed in vertical rows, with a slight vertical spacing between the sleepers.

Each support 44 has a base plate 47 fixed at its centre to the chain 42 by any known means such as bolt 43, rivet and so on, in such a way that the passage of this plate on the toothed pulleys 40 and 41 remains possible (see FIGURE 5).

Perpendicularly to the plate 47 there is a trapezoidal plate 48 having two fins 49.

As is illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6, one sleeper is carried by two consecutive supports 44, resting on the normally horizontal plates 48 and journaled in relation to the wagon in the transverse direction by the plates 47 and in the longitudinal direction by the fins 49.

As a result, the sleeper depositing unit remains stable during transporting in spite of shocks to which it may be subjected by reason of slopes, sharp braking, bends, zigzags and various jolting.

To the lower frame-plates 20 and 22 of the lateral frames there are fixed by support collars 51 jacks 501' of odd number, and 50p of even number, located in the gaps of the toothed pulleys 41 and under the longitudinal shafts 38, as seen in FIGURES 1 and 5. All these jacks 50i and 50p are identical. A jack 50 (FIGURE 5) which can be hydraulic or pneumatic is composed of a cylinder 53, in the interior of which moves a piston, whose rod 54 carries at its end a right-angled iron as support 55. Connections 56 and 56A, extended by conduits, permit the supply and withdrawal of actuating fluid (oil, air and so on).

The said jack can be double acting as illustrated, or it can be single with only one fluid connection 56, the piston then acting when it meets a return spring, which is not illustrated.

The mechanical control of the various members de scribed above is effected by a motor 60 located on one of the front or rear platforms constituted by the plates 2 of the chassis. The said motor 60 has speed reducing gear and known transmission means such as pinions with chains or shaft, not shown, for ensuring the drive of the upper 36 or lower 38 longitudinal shafts, to give the sleepers a descending translation movement.

The drive fluid of the jacks is supplied by a tank 62 under pressure, having a disconnectable compressor driven by the shaft 61 of the motor 60, conduits for fiuid under pressure connecting the tank 62 to the connections 56 and 56A of the jacks 50.

As has been stated above, the lateral frames of the wagon carrying the longitudinal shafts 36 and 38 can have contingently a certain transverse mobility. In actual fact the frame normally (FIGURE 4) rests at the upper portion on the transverse beams 5 by means of bracks 30 and their rollers 32, and stability is ensured by the support of the uprights 25 or 26 on the portions 28 of the plates 2 of the chassis.

One beam 5, however, is supported by two props 4: the prop 4 is telescopic and a nut 65 screwing into the rod 66 makes it possible to increase its length slightly, in this way relieving the uprights such as 25 of the weight of the frame.

It is accordingly possible to shift each lateral frame by causing it to roll on the cross beam 5 after the manner of a rolling-bridge. These small amplitude displacements have the aim of adapting the spacing of the lateral frames to various sleeper lengths, making possible for instance a load of wooden sleepers or shorter concrete sleepers as stated above.

The displacements of the lateral frames are ensured and controlled by fiy-wheels 70, as seen in FIGURE 4. One fly-wheel 79 actuated the shaft 71 trunnioned freely in a support bearing 72 integral with the plate 2. Beyond the bearing 72, the shaft 71 is screw-threaded and engages in a screw-threaded sleeve 74 which is integral with the chassis plate 2.

From the position of wide spacing of the frames, illustrated in FIGURE 4, it can be seen that by turning the fly-wheel in the clockwise direction for instance the screw-threaded shaft 71 sinks into the fixed sleeve 74 and can displace the unit of the frame until the frameplate 20, sliding on its support 2 of the chassis, comes into contact with the vertical face 2C of the plate 2.

After regulating the new position of the lateral frames, the unscrewing of the nuts 65 of the props 4 ensures once more firm supports for the uprights 25 and 26 on the plates 2B and the stability of the unit.

To complete the description and to make it possible to understand the functioning of the wagon forming the object of the invention, or rather of a group of these wagons such as are shown in FIGURE 2, it is necessary to note that the overall length of a wagon, including the couplings is calculated such that the gap between two loads of superimposed sleepers is equal to the length E of this load on a wagon.

On the other hand, the distance D between two even 40 or odd 41 pulleys is the same as between two even 50p or odd 50i jacks, and this distance D is also that of the distance of two axle-trees of two sleepers positioned in their final placing on the permanent way to be constructed.

The operation of positioning sleepers with one or preferably several wagons in accordance with the invention takes place in accordance with the following steps:

A train composed for instance of 4 wagons loaded with sleepers, such as W -W W W as seen in FIGURE 2, is brought by normal traction means on the rails 10 of the normal permanent way up to the vicinity of the storage yard for the positioning.

'After disconnecting the ordinary locomotive, a tractor T which may be a caterpillar tractor, is attached to the train of wagons and its track is sufiiciently narrow for it to move on the ballast between the rails 10, or if the need arises, on the latter, but certainly inside the rails 16.

Lorries with small wheels 14 which have been folded back inside for travel on the normal way to take into account the gage, are lowered and are engaged at 16A on the rails 16 of the temporary, widely spaced way, as has been explained above.

From the point 10A where the normal way ceases, the sleepers are deposited and distributed onto the ballast by the following process:

The operator, by the rotation of the shafts 36 and 38 bearing the chains 42 carrying the sleepers, releases the simultaneous descent movement of these latter: the tractor stops, and at this moment all the jacks 50 have their rods 54 out and the entire lower horizontal row of sleepers 45 accordingly rests on the angle irons 55, the supports 44 which supported them being retracted as shown in FIGURE 5.

The descending movement of the sleepers now being arrested, the operator then controls the withdrawal of the rods 54 of the odd jacks 50i; the sleepers of odd number no longer being supported by the angle irons 55, fall onto the ballast.

The said ballast is accordingly covered with sleepers 45 at the definitive spacing at four links E separated by four spaces E without sleepers.

Without restarting the lowering of the sleepers, the convoy is moved forward by a length E and the operator releases the retraction of the jacks 50p.

The depositing of the even number sleepers then takes place to fill the free spaces of sleepers 45, in their final positioning.

The operator of each wagon then lowers on the jacks 50i and 50p a fresh longitudinal row of sleepers 45. Then the tractor draws the convoy of the four wagons for a length of seven E+T, which brings the end sleeper of the wagon W opposite the place which it is to occupy, i.e. at the distance D from the head sleeper which has been deposited by the wagon W; at the first position of the train.

The above operation is repeated and it is found that with the use of wagons in accordance with the invention the positioning of the sleepers is carried out very rapidly for the whole length of the train of wagons, the said length being itself restricted only by the power of the tractor taking into account its narrow track.

Apart from the very reduced manpower necessary for measuring accurately the length of successive displacements, the handling of the actual depositions requires one man per wagon, and this manpower can be reduced to a single mechanic for the entire train by using synchronized servo controls for the manipulating members of the various wagons of the train.

I claim:

1. A wagon for transporting and positioning railway sleepers, having a chassis which is open at its lower portion, a pair of wheels at each end of Said chassis for supporting the said chassis, the spacing of the wheels of the first pair corresponding to that of a normal railway track and the spacing of the wheels of the second pair being greater than that of the first pair, two pairs of lower longitudinal shafts and upper longitudinal shafts respectively, mounted rotatably on the chassis in proximity to lateral faces of the said chassis, chain pulleys carried by the said longitudinal shafts, endless chains arranged in vertical planes and connecting the said chain pulleys together, means for rotating the chain pulleys to circulate the chains, supports for the sleepers which are fixed to the chains at a certain distance from each other and jacks which are each arranged between two adjacent chains and carry support elements located at a level below that of the corresponding lower shaft for receiving and releasably retaining sleepers lowered onto said support elements by said supports on the chains, and means for actuating said jacks to move said support elements between sleeper supporting and sleeper releasing positions.

2. A wagon as claimed in claim 1, in which the support elements with which the jacks are provided are located in proximity to the horizontal plane which is tangential to the adjacent chain pulleys.

3. A Wagon as claimed in claim 1, comprising mechanical means for rotating the longitudinal shafts.

4. A wagon as claimed in claim 1, in which the vertical planes of the chain are spaced from each other by a distance equal to half the interval which there must be between two sleepers.

5. A wagon as claimed in claim 1, having couplings at both ends, in which the total load length is equal to double the distance between the end of the load and the outer ends of the adjacent couplings.

6. A wagon for transporting and positioning sleepers, having a chassis open at its lower portion, a pair of wheels at each end of the chassis for supporting the chassis, the spacing of the wheels of the first pair corresponding to that of a normal railway track and the spacing of the wheels of the second pair being greater than that of the first pair, two pairs of lower longitudinal shafts and upper longitudinal shafts respectively, mounted rotatably on the chassis in proximity to lateral faces of the said chassis, chain pulleys carried by the said longitudinal shafts, endless chains arranged in vertical planes and connecting the said chain pulleys together, means for rotating the chain pulleys to circulate the chains, supports for the sleepers which are fixed to the chains at a certain distance from each other, frame-plates supporting the longitudinal shafts, plates mounted on the pairs of Wheels, props which rest on the plates and to which the frame-plates are connected, and means for regulating the height of the props.

7. A wagon as claimed in claim 6, having cross beams which rest on the props and in relation to which the frame-plates are mounted to slide horizontally.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,050,375 1/1913 Morancy l04-6 1,506,953 9/1924 Stubbs 1046 1,622,970 3/1927 Payne lO4--6 3,097,754 7/ 1963 Franklin et al 21482 DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. l049; 2l4392 

